Diabetic foot ulcers in Port Moresby General Hospital 2003-2008: review of the principles of effective prevention and management of diabetic foot.

Background: In the recent decade in Papua New Guinea and other Pacific countries there has been an increasing trend of lifestyle diseases, including obesity associated with diabetes mellitus. Foot ulceration and infection leading to amputation are common and feared complications of diabetes. Yet these are potentially the most preventable of all complications in diabetic patients.